Locking lamp-socket.



P. J. MOUSHEY &J. E. WEST.

LOCKING LAMP SOCKET. APPLICATION FILED mac. 13, 1915.

1 201,075 I Patentetf Oct. 10, 1916.

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TED STATES PAUL JosErH MOUSHEY AND JoHN Erma WEST, OF YOUNGSTOWN, OHIO.

A EN cri ic.

LOCKING LAMP-SOCKET.

Application filed December 13, 1915. Serial No.'66,581'. 7

To all whom it may concern: Be it known that we, PAUL J. MOUSHEY and JOHN ERLE WVEsT, citizens of theUnited States, residing at Youngstown, in .7 the county of Mahoning, State of Ohio, have invented a new and useful Locking Lamp- Socket, of which the following is 'a specification. I 1 F i The present invention app'ertains to electric lamp sockets, and aims to provide a novel and improved socket of that character having unique means for locking thelamp to the socket, in order that the lamp cannot be removed by maliciously inclined persons, without breaking the sameso that it will be useless, it being the object of the invention to provide a lamp socket from which the lamp cannot be stolen, although the lamp can be readily applied to the socket.

The invention resides in a novel assemblage of the component elements and includes a socket member mounted for rotation in'one direction'only, so that the lamp plug may be threaded within the socket member Without difliculty and when the lamp is rotated in the opposite direction to unscrew the plug from the socket member, the-socket member will rotate with the lamp. The device also includes locking means carried by the socket member, and a shell inclosing the locking means and socket member and held in place by the lamp, whereby said shell cannot be removed until the lamp is broken. To renew the lamp after it is burnt out, the lamp is broken and'the shell removed, which enables the locking means to be manipulated for releasing the plug, the plug then being unscrewed and the parts assembled for the reception of a new lamp.

It is also within the scopeof the invention to provide a locking lamp socket which is comparatively simple and inexpensive in construction and manufacture, which may be constructed in various styles for the rece tion of various lamps, and which will e thoroughly practical, reliable and efiicient in use.

WVith the foregoing and other objects in view which will appear as the description proceeds, the invention resides in the combination and arrangement of parts and in the details of construction hereinafter described and claimed, it being understood that changes in the precise embodiment of Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented 0a. 10, 1916.

the invention herein disclosed can be made j withinthe scope of what is claimed without departing from the spirit of the invention.

The mvention is illustrated in the accompanying drawing, wherein Figure 1 is an elevation of the socket sections taken on the lines 38 and 41,

respectively, of Fig. 1. V r

In the drawing, the numeral 1 designates the socket member stamped from sheet metal or otherwise formed, and threaded as usual. The bottom of the socket member 1 is preferably swiveled to the insulating body 2 of the lamp socket, said socket member 1 and body 2 being inclosed by. a sheet metal or' other suitable shell 3 having the lamp end thereof contracted, as at 3*. Attached to the other end of the shell 3 is a cap 4 through which the conductors (not shown) are extended, the body 2 having a suitable switch foropening and closing the circuit.

As a convenient means of swiveling the socket member 1 tothe body 2, a bolt or other pivot element 5 attached to the body 2 projects therefrom and has thereon an insulating bushing 6 engaged through the central portion of-.-the bottom of the socket member 1, whereby the socket member can rotate about its aXis. A spring contact 7 is attached to the bolt or pivot element 5 within the socket member lfor the engagement of the central contact or terminal 8 of the plug 9 of the bulb or lamp 10. A contact 11' is carried by the body 2 andbears against the socket member 1, whereby the conductors can be connected with the bolt 5 and contact 11 to bring the lamp in the circuit, the bush ing 6 insulating the socket member 1 from the bolt 5.

In order to prevent the rotation of the socket member 1 in one direction,said member is provided upon its periphery and adjacent its bottom with an annular series of ratchet teeth 12, and a spring pressed pawl or dog 13 is pivoted to the body 2 and cooperates with the ratchet teeth, for preventing the rotation of the member 1 in one direction. Thus, when the plug 9 is threaded into the socket member 1, the socket member is held in fixed'position, whereas if an attempt is made to unscrew the lamp from the socket, the socket member 1 will merely member 1 Wo ksrotate with the plug 9 in order to avoid a wrenching strain upon the lamp as would be liable to break thesame.

The locking means carried bythe socket member 1 embodies a doubled or 'U-shaped guide 1& formed from a stripor other suitable material, and having itsend portions bent angularly and soldered or otherwise secured to the periphery of the socket memht! l, th o k t mem er 1 b ing P ov ded with a transverse slot 15 behind the guide 14: which a Wedges-shaped locking Said member 16 fits slidably within the guide 14 and is held in place thereby, the inner edge of the member 16 having ratchet teeth 17 which project into the socket member 1 to contact with or engage'the plug 9 of the lamp. .The member '16 is pulled within the guide 14 by means of a wire or other suitable spring. 18 having one end attached to the smaller end of the member 16, and having a coi119 between its ends, the other end of said spring being soldered or otherwise secured, as at 20, to the socket member 1 adjacent the bottom thereof. The spring 18 has a tendency to pull the locking member 16 within the guide lt to project the inner edge of the member 16 into the socket member 1. The member 16 is so arranged, that when the plug 9 is threaded into the socket member 1, the plug in engaging the member 16. will force the same to the left, as viewed in Fig. 3, whereby the plug can be threaded home without difficulty, but when there is an attempt made to unscrew the plug, the teeth 17 in engaging the plug, will cause the locking member 16 to be moved to the right, as viewed in Fig. 3, which will cause the locking memher to wedge tightly between the guide 14 and plug. This will prevent the further unscrewing of the plug 9, and consequently,

the lamp. cannot be unscrewed without the member 16 being released. Furthermore, the socket member 1 will merely turn loosely when an attempt is made to unscrew the lamp fromthe socke t. Since the socket member 1 and locking means are inclosed by the shell 3, the locking means cannot be re leased. The contracted end 3 of the shell 3. bears against the bulb of he lamp, so tha the lamp when in position holds the shell 3 in place, and the shell 3 cannot be removed until the bulb is broken. This can be readily done when the lamp is burnt out, whereby the shell 3 can be withdrawn from the body 2 to expose the locking member 16. Said locking member can then be pressed by the linger to release the plug, so that the plug of the socket member, however, is o f adva r,

tage when it is used forthe reasons indicated.

Having-thus described the invention, what is claimed as new is:

1. A lamp socket embodying a socket member having a guide, and a spring pressed wedge-shaped locking member slidl W hi ai guide n arr nge t wedge between the guide and plug of a lamp threaded within the socket byithe unscrewing movement of the plug.

2. A lamp socket embodying a socket memberhaving an outstanding U-shaped guide and a transverse slot, and a spring pressed wedgesshaped locking memberslidable within said guide and slot and having a toothed edge projectable within the socket member to engage the plug of a lamp threaded within the socket member, whereby when an attempt is made to uDScrew the plug fromthe socket member, the locking PAUL JOSEPH MOUSHEY. JOHN ERLE WEST.

Witnesses:

MYRON ULLMAN, EDWIN R. ZINGE.

omes 9??! retest m r h qbta a e 19ri v cent each t secre the weshtngtom qw i 

